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Astana's Alberto Contador is seeking his third Tour de France victory this year but this time not on the Trek Madone he used the first two times around but rather Specialized's S-Works Tarmac SL3.

Although it's obviously a different machine, Contador's new Tarmac is no slouch in its own right with all of the design and engineering features we've come to expect out of the latest carbon superbikes.

In total, Specialized says the new Tarmac SL3 'module' weighs just 2,047g - 153g less than its already light predecessor - and is also nearly a fifth more rigid in the front triangle for improved overall responsiveness.

Still, it's essentially no different from the SL3 any average consumer can pick up off the shelf so what makes this so special?

Custom painted frames are nothing new at the tour de france but contador's are consistently one of our favorites.:

Custom painted frames are nothing new at the Tour de France but Contador's are consistently one of our favorites

As usual (and aside from the obvious answer - the rider), the difference lies in the custom aesthetic and mechanical touches that have been applied plus the manner to which it's prepared by Contador's master mechanic, Faustino Munoz.

First and foremost is the eye-catching paint package, which is applied almost throughout the entire bike and builds on last year's hand pistol (Contador's signature victory salute) theme with a new black metallic base coat and similar yellow, pink and red 'fingers' to indicate his victories in all three Grand Tours.

New for this current version, too, is a fetching new graphic with back-to-back pistols atop both the top tube and custom saddle.

For those of you wondering, Specialized has mentioned to us that Contador's special paint job - plus those of Saxo Bank's Fabian Cancellara, Andy and Fränk Schleck - will be offered in limited quantities this fall.

Contador's rig is awash in a few notable component upgrades as well. SRAM already provides the two-time Tour de France winner with its new Red LTE group but the rear derailleur is further augmented with a specially fitted Berner oversized carbon fibre cage and pulley wheels for lower drivetrain friction - or at least, so says the theory.

Munoz first applies oil to contador's freshly washed and dried chains, then seals it in with a heavier grease for an ultra-smooth drivetrain.:

Munoz first applies oil to Contador's freshly washed and dried chains, then seals it in with a heavier grease for an ultra-smooth drivetrain

Not to go overlooked is the manner in which Munoz puts this all together. As we've noticed in years past, Contador's drivetrain is among the smoothest and drag-free we've ever encountered, likely helped along by a full ceramic bearing package (Munoz has used Enduro as a supplier before but we're unsure what's included here) and his 'secret sauce' chain lube mix that first uses a coating of light oil that's then sealed in with a layer of grease on the outer surfaces.

An even closer inspection reveals not a single speck of dirt or debris, impeccably clipped and capped cables, an impossibly clean glue job on the tyres, and what is undoubtedly one of the most consistently superb handlebar tape applications on the circuit.

Quoted weight is exactly 6.8kg and while Munoz wouldn't let us weigh the bike ourselves (or take our full battery of measurements), prior experience with Contador's 6 Series Madone gives us no reason to suspect otherwise as that bike was 6.8kg on the nose as well.

Preferred Terrain: Up in the Colorado high-country where the singletrack is still single, the dirt is still brown, and the aspens are in full bloom. Also, those perfect stretches of pavement where the road snakes across the mountainside like an artist's paintbrush.